Every point this chapter arugues is true – we do play the game of school. I can't say that the teachers do for sure, but absolutely the students play along, just trying to get by, get good grades, and get out. Even if the students love school and love to learn, it is rare that a young student is willing to go above and beyond because, why should they? I know that I was one of those kids in the reading group who would jot down stupid questions just to get it done with. At a young age, children don't see any harm in it, they don't even know that they are playing the game. They don't see the potential damage of doing the minimum of what they are asked of because the teacher isn't going to be able to force a deeper thought out of the children and they will probably get a good grade regardless, which is what they think is all that really matters. Kids are playing the game of school because they don't see the bigger picture, instead they only see what is right in front of them.
After all, school is a routine thing. You wake up every morning, grab your backpack and your lunch box, hop on the bus, go through your classes, and go home. The routine environment is a perfect breeding ground for routine questions, answers, and lack of creativity, which results in mediocre work ethic and lack of inspiring learning.